Urdu speakers

Published November 1, 2014

THOUSANDS of Baloch migrated to Sindh centuries ago. Many of them now speak Sindhi, many still speak Balochi. Almost all of them still retain their Baloch identity.

Thousands of Pathans migrated to India over the length of the British Raj. Their descendants, most of them born in Indian provinces, have little to do with Afghanistan or Northern Pakistan.

They still claim themselves to be Pathans. There are thousands of Punjabis in Karachi whose ancestors have been living here for decades. No one expects them to shred their Punjabi ethnicity, and call themselves Sindhis.

I hate ethnic (and religious) politics. But if you expect only one group to behave in a certain way, it is just not possible. I cannot believe educated and (somewhat) rational people would be so naive as to dismiss ethnic associations in the case of (just) Urdu-speaking people.

Asad Shairani

Karachi

Published in Dawn, November 1st , 2014

Opinion

Editorial

Impending slaughter
07 May, 2024

Impending slaughter

RAFAH, the last shelter for Gaza’s hapless people, is about to face the wrath of the Israeli war machine. There ...
Wheat investigation
07 May, 2024

Wheat investigation

THE Shehbaz Sharif government is in a sort of Catch-22 situation regarding the alleged wheat import scandal. It is...
Naila’s feat
07 May, 2024

Naila’s feat

IN an inspirational message from the base camp of Nepal’s Mount Makalu, Pakistani mountaineer Naila Kiani stressed...
Plugging the gap
06 May, 2024

Plugging the gap

IN Pakistan, bias begins at birth for the girl child as discriminatory norms, orthodox attitudes and poverty impede...
Terrains of dread
Updated 06 May, 2024

Terrains of dread

Restored faith in the police is unachievable without political commitment and interprovincial support.
Appointment rules
Updated 06 May, 2024

Appointment rules

If the judiciary had the power to self-regulate, it ought to have exercised it instead of involving the legislature.